A Challenge
by heartsvilleMonarch
Summary: Lisa finds herself wondering who Darren Tyler really is.
1. Chapter 1

**The Challenge**

**Warnings/Info: **I have no idea what this is, just go with the flow.

**AN: **Hey guys! I know, it's been a while since I've written a shapeshifter fic. Exams and stuff, sorry. I don't really know what this is, it might just be a one-shot, so please tell me if you think it's worth continuing. I wrote this after listening to Darren Criss sing "When I Get You Alone" on repeat for hours, and realised that it would be the perfect Darren/Lisa song. That being said, this isn't Darren/Lisa. Yet. Just let me know what you think, and if anyone wants this to continue, it'll probably become Darren/Lisa. Or Sparren. You guys know I can't resist Sparren! (But I'll try very hard if no-one wants to read that.) So please review, it would really help me.

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><p>Lisa made a point of knowing everything about everyone at Fenton Lodge. It was, after all, a small building with very few students- and ghosts were notorious gossips.<p>

All the girls confided their secrets in Lisa, Dax always turned to her when in need, and even though she hated Spook with a surprising enthusiasm, his grandmother had told her all the juicy titbits she'd ever need to know.

There was one person, however, who always managed to escape the feel of her supernatural gossip antennae.

Darren Tyler.

They'd never admit it to his face, but a lot of the "true eleven" were a little... confused about Darren's place in the group. From what they'd observes, the true 11, even at Tregarren, had been the best in their field. Mia, the most talented healer, Dax, the only shapeshifter and of course, Lisa herself, clairvoyant, dowser, empath- her psychic powers were unparalleled. Spook, she'd admit grudgingly, was always the best illusionist in the school. But Darren? His illusions were patchy and inconsistent- at best. As for the kid himself- no-one ever managed to connect with him, save for Spook, though he was easy-going enough. He barely spoke, though. Not even Mia could draw two words out of the strange, almost exotic boy.

Now Lisa stood, staring at the second-rate illusionist who sat in a dark corner of Fenton Lodge's impressive library. He'd yet to acknowledge her presence, which for some reason she couldn't pin down, infuriated her beyond belief. After a few more minutes of curious observation, Lisa eventually made a delicate cough to announce herself. Darren didn't look up, but simply asked mildly- "was there something you wanted, Lisa?"

She flounced down, all grandeur lost.

"How long have you known I was there?"

"Since you walked in," he replied, still absorbed in his paperback. "Your boots are kind of clicky.

"Oh." They sat enveloped in a strangely uncomfortable silence. Slowly, Darren closed the book with a gentle rustling of pages and looked up.

"_Was _there something you wanted?" he asked again, not unkindly.

"No, not- not really." Lisa rolled her eyes. "God, that was articulate, wasn't it?" With the tension gone, she also lost her inhibitions. "What are you hanging out in the library for, anyway?"

Darren furrowed his brow. "Reading," he explained, and motioned to the closed paperback.

"Reading?"

"Isn't that what one usually does in a library?"

"Oh, shut up."

"I was perfectly quiet until your interrupted me, Lisa."

That shook her, and for the first time she noticed the hardness in his eyes. Darren was reserved, sure, but when prompted to talk he was always light-hearted, never so... steely.

"Bad day?"

She got her answer with his non-committal jerk of the head.

"Oh, so you came here to escape. Fair enough." Lisa was suddenly aware that he'd barely looked at her since she'd entered the room. "So, tell me what's wrong."

That got him. Curious blue eyes met confused brown ones.

"Why would you care?" He spoke slowly, cautiously. "You're Lisa Hardman. You've barely spoken a word to me since we met, two years ago."

"In my defence, you don't make it very easy."

Darren paused. "That's debatable. It's nothing major, though thanks for your concern. I'm fine."

Lisa leant back and sighed deeply. She closed her eyes and tried to remain oblivious to the confusing boy and his awkward, polite presence.

"Stop being so boring. Come on, what is it?" Giving up, Lisa propped herself up on her elbow to regard him with quizzical eyes. "Did Spook cheat on you or something?"

"What- we're not a couple!"

"Sure." Lisa leant back again, though Darren didn't move. "You keep telling yourself that. Sit down properly.

"It's true," he protested, but leant back anyway. "What about your day, then?" He enquired politely.

"Uneventful."

"Sounds fun."

Lisa's head turned, and saw that their faces were mere inches apart. She studied him intensely- his big dark eyes, the floppy black hair, the mouth that spoke but never said anything. Darren remained statuesque, and she turned away.

"I hate this place," Lisa blurted out suddenly. "No phones, no outside privileges, stuck with the same people every day, ghosts always badgering me about their problems- like I care! It's the worst job. I want to go back to Tregarren. No, scratch that, I want to go back home, before any of this happened. Back to just me and Dad, when my head wasn't all wonky and I had a proper life." There were footsteps outside. "I just want to be normal again."

"Darren!"

The unlikely pair were startled as they looked up to see the tall, imposing figure of Spook stride in. "Where've you been? I've been looking everywhere!"

Dutifully, Darren picked up his book and made to follow his friend. Spook left immediately, assuming that Darren would be behind him, but the boy turned around just before he reached the door.

"Lisa..." he started, but trailed off, unsure of himself.

"What?"

"There's nothing wrong with you. I mean, your head isn't wonky. You're fine. And, um- thanks, for listening."

Darren left the confused clairvoyant sitting, alone in the dark.

"But you barely said anything," she whispered to herself. Lisa sighed. She'd come in to find out more about the elusive Darren- but she'd ended up practically telling him her life story. "Why am I doing this?" she murmured quietly. The empty space next to her gave no answer.

"Well," Lisa decided, struggling to her feet, "I've always liked a challenge."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Challenge**

**Warnings/Info: **I have no idea what this is, just go with the flow.

AN: Hello again! Thank you for the positive feedback, I really didn't know how this would be received. So I think this is going to have a few more chapters, of varying lengths. No pairing decided as of yet, but I think this will just be showing different kinds of friendships. (I probably write too many pairing fics anyway!) This chapter is pretty short, sorry, I'm super-busy right now! Don't let that stop you from dropping a review, though ;)

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><p>Throughout the next couple of days, Lisa found herself watching Darren at every available opportunity. She didn't know if she'd been expecting him to talk to her again, or for some kind of bond to form between them from that one conversation in the library- but she definitely hadn't been expecting things to simply carry on as normal. It completely infuriated her. It was a Saturday, so the students could come downstairs whenever they wanted. Lisa came down early- she couldn't abide lying in bed, awake for hours- how <em>dull- <em>and saw Spook grabbing some toast in the refectory. He nodded politely at her as she poured herself come orange juice.

"Where's your shadow?" Lisa couldn't help but ask.

"Excuse me?"

"Darren." She heard a _tsk, _and smiled.

"He's not my shadow," Spook smiled.

"Might as well be."

"What's your problem?" He sounded exasperated, and Lisa realised that he wasn't full of his usual venom. They looked at each-other for a few seconds, until Spook raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"Oh, please," Lisa flicked her shiny blonde hair back in an attempt to look nonchalant. "I'm simply interested, that's all. Don't take it so personally."

"Sure," he scoffed. "Everyone's interested in Darren."

"Are you..." she smirked, suddenly realising something. "Jealous?"

"No! Worried." He took a bite of toast, chewed and swallowed, while avoiding Lisa's skeptical glare.

"You'll forgive me if I don't believe you."

"Why is everyone convinced that I'm such a bad friend? No, don't answer that," he ammended quickly, knowing that Lisa had a very long list of bad deeds to his name.

"You worry about him?" Lisa couldn't help but be a little pedantic. Spook was a git to everyone- though she had never seen him snap at Darren, no-one knew what happened behind closed doors. Spook seemed to read her mind.  
>"He's my best friend, Lisa." <em>My only friend, <em>she knew the unspoken words meant. "And he's-" Spook stopped himself.

"What?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Tell me," she ordered. For a second it seemed that he would refuse, but then thought better of it. Every COLA knew that Lisa was scary when she got annoyed. Spook took another bite, and leant back properly against the counter.

"Darren doesn't trust easily, all right? I know you all think he's shy, but he's not. There's a different between being shy and being quiet. Then there's the issue of power- because let's face it, he's not as good as me. No," he held up a hand to silence her protests, "ask him yourself, he'll say the same thing. We're not unbalanced- he's well-liked, and better at football, and singing, and pulling me back into line when I've gone too far with something." He smiled ruefully, and Lisa remembered the famous hunting-dog incident of their second year, where Darren had refused to speak to his best friend until Spook had apologised to Dax. "But not in power. And now there's only ten of us-"

"Eleven," Lisa quickly cut in. Spook raised an eyebrow.

"Twelve, if you're going to be pedantic. Thirteen, if you include Clive. May I carry on? Good," he continued without waiting for an answer. "Now there's a limited number of COLA's left, it's harder for him to blend in than it used to be. You think we don't hear what you whisper about us when our backs are turned?"

Lisa bit her lip, because she knew exactly what everyone said, or thought, at least. She'd asked herself the same question that was on everybody's mind at least once. Did Darren really deserve a place in the "true eleven"? Like it was some sort of honour. She felt sick at herself. Spook didn't seem angry, which surprised her, taking into account his new-found protective instincts.

"So," he cleared his throat. "Have I satisfied your curiosity? Are you going to report back to Jonesy with your new enemy intelligence?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped. "If you must know, I asked because I met Darren in the library the other day. He looked kind of upset, and I wanted to know if I could help."

"Oh. Well. That's," he struggled for a word. "Nice, of you. I guess."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "Nothing more than a bizarre inferiority complex, then?"

"I didn't say that," he reprimanded her. "Don't twist my words around. He's probably just homesick again. He lives with his nan, and he worries about her being left alone. Always happens with the first few weeks of term," he shrugged. "Can I go now?"

Lisa rolled her eyes once more. "Yes, go ahead. I wasn't stopping you." Spook immediately turned on his heel and strode away, muttering something under his breath about "_crazy women." _Lisa downed the last of her orange juice and looked around to see Mia enter, yawning.

"You're up early," she noted. Mia nodded sleepily, and started to make tea.

"I couldn't sleep. Were you talking to Spook just then?"

"Mmm," Lisa responded non-committally.

"That's nice," Mia yawned again. "He's not so bad once you get to know him, really."

"Maybe not," Lisa agreed. "He might actually be a better person than I thought he was."


End file.
